Needs

need a change of scenery!
need a change of pace!
need to get away!

Craving Satisfied

I was craving for Korean food but I guess this is even better, satisfied two kinds of craving - Korean and sweets haha :D

Strawberry Bingsu - Korean dessert

SOS by Sekai No Owari

This is the theme song for Attack on Titan: End of the World which is a live-action an adaptation of the manga and anime of the same name. Although the music video is a little strange to watch (no idea why one of the musicians is wearing a clown mask), I thought the lead singer's voice is pretty amazing. I still find it a little hard to believe it is a guy singing! 
SOS (uploaded by Sekai No Owari Channel)

Craving

Craving for Korean food. Why?!

The Airport Test

Based on the quiz on how I behave at an airport, I am revealed to be independent lol. :) Must say it is not too far from the truth. 

You Are Independent

You question everything and break all the rules. You believe that nothing is set in stone. You know a lot, and you're always learning more. You believe in being self-sufficient. You are at your best when you are left alone to ponder your newest ideas and experiments. You like esoteric things. You can see the beauty in the strange.

The Airport Test

Tea, Chat & Cats

We have been invited to my good friend and neighbour's place for afternoon tea. As usual, the chocolate cakes, cheese scones and hot cross buns served at tea were all hand-made and really delicious. :) We chatted while having tea. One of the cats, Mau wandered into the sitting area. 
Today, I pick him up onto my laps and gave him a good sayang. :)

Mau in his basket

Good Friday 2016

It is Good Friday. 
It is a much needed respite for me. 

LOA

LOA = Letter of Acceptance 
Today, I received my letter of acceptance (LOA) for presentation at a conference. :) 
It has been a while since I last presented at a conference. The conference will be held in a country I have yet to visit. It will be interesting.

Sunrise

The wooden blinds on one of my bedroom windows have been sent for repair. This is what I see early every morning for the past few days. 

Blues No More

No more blues when you have this Blue Velvet Waffle from Bucktile St Cafe. :P

A Good Smoothie

I enjoy a good smoothie. However, some smoothie I have tried are really watery, bland, and/or over-sweet. :S The best smoothie I have found is at my student, Sam Koh's cafe, Curbside Cafe & Wine Bar - full of flavour and freshness with the richness of yoghurt. :)

A special concoction made for me - berries + mango

Childhood Memories: Woh Hup zichar

Tonight, I am a child again. :) I had dinner with my parents at Woh Hup zichar, Hong Lim Market and Food Centre. My parents used to bring my younger brother and I to Woh Hup for dinner, especially the fish slice been hoon when we were young. It's a wonderful childhood memory for me, especially tucking into the small bowl of fried lard pieces! :P 

Fish slice bee hoon and the delicious fried pork lard pieces

The pork ribs are yummy

What is missing tonight is my brother who has been in UK since his secondary school days. YM, come back to Singapore soon with your family and we can relive our childhood days. :) 

Travel

I still have so many places to visit!

Your Travel Profile:

You Are Well Traveled in Australia (50%) You Are Well Traveled in the United Kingdom (50%) You Are Somewhat Well Traveled in Western Europe (29%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Scandinavia (20%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Asia (17%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in Southern Europe (13%) You Are Mostly Untraveled in the Western United States (11%) You Are Untraveled in Africa (0%) You Are Untraveled in Canada (0%) You Are Untraveled in Eastern Europe (0%) You Are Untraveled in Latin America (0%) You Are Untraveled in New Zealand (0%) You Are Untraveled in the Middle East (0%) You Are Untraveled in the Midwestern United States (0%) You Are Untraveled in the Northeastern United States (0%) You Are Untraveled in the Southern United States (0%)

How Well Traveled Are You?

Featured on People of OER :)

I am being featured on People of OER, Office of Education Research Facebook page. :) 

To read about what I do, click on the link: People of OER: Dr Wong Hwei Ming 

People of OER is a series of posts about people working in OER who help education research gain traction in Singapore. 

Surprise!

What a wonderful surprise to meet my SCGS 4P 1998 student, Yvette Leong who is also a fellow educator now!! It's always wonderful to know when one of my students has taken up teaching as a career. :)

Thanks for calling out to me! All the best for your teaching career. :) Keep in touch!

3D Latte Art

The first time I saw 3D latte art was in Penang. I finally got to see it in Singapore! 

Adorable!

Nature in Harmony

I really like this photo which I took at the Singapore Botanic Gardens two weekends ago.

Can you see what are on the lily pad? Here's a closer photo.

A tiny frog and an insect, side by side, on the lily pad. Nature in harmony.

Something New

I think a new project is happening in the near future. 

Busy Family

Today, we all had separate activities to attend - Juliane had her playdate at Universal Studio Singapore, I had my colleague's wedding dinner, and Marieann had tuition and time at her paternal grandmother's place. 

Presentation Prep

Preparing for an important presentation on Monday. It is high stakes for me.

One Week Respite

I just realised that today is the last day of school for Term 1. The start of one week holiday.  

Greek Yogurt

You Are Pomegranate Flavored Greek Yogurt

You are adventurous and discriminating. You have broad tastes, and you're always up for expanding your horizons. You have a healthy outlook on life, and it's rare that you get stuck in a rut. You are always ready to shake things up. You are the type of person who likes to be out in the world and in the mix. You are less of a homebody than most people. You'd like to travel the world. For now, you engage in as much virtual travel as possible through books, food, and film.

What Flavor Greek Yogurt Are You?

I have greek yogurt for breakfast. However, I prefer having it plain. :)

Options and Desserts

I attended Marieann's Sec 2 Streaming Talk and Parent-teacher meeting, 6-8:30pm at St Margaret's Secondary School. We were going to have dinner together and it would be a good time to discuss her options for Secondary 3. I managed to speak to two of her teachers to get a better sense of her performance in school. Before we went for dinner, Marieann proudly showed me her classroom.

Marieann and I ended up at Island Creamery for dinner. Yes, we had desserts as dinner! It is a good way to start our conversation about her options in Sec 3 lol.

Mudpie and Apple Pie with coconut swirl ice cream

Happy International Women's Day 2016

Happy Women's Day 2016

(Source: http://www.valentines-daycards.com/happy-international-womens-day-2016/2429/2429/)

Visiting Professor

It has been a while since I last met up with Professor Hannele Niemi whom I have known since 2009. She happened to be in Singapore for four days as a keynote speaker for a conference and we arranged to have a quick meet up today. :)
We talked about school improvements in Finland and about assessment. Prof Niemi always treats me as her colleague even though I am so much more junior than she is in terms of research and academic experience. I really appreciate Prof Niemi for sharing her experience and wisdom so generously with me!

Life's Simple Pleasures - Mother Nature 2016

After an extremely stressful week (thank goodness, with good outomes!), it is extremely relaxing and refreshing to have a good breakfast at Botanic Gardens with a good friend yesterday and to walk among and admire all the pleasures Mother Nature has to offer. 

Life's Simple Pleasures 2016

After a stressful week, there's nothing more pleasurable than spending some quality time with my daughters! My girls and I started with having Korean desserts, Bingsu at Orchard Central, together with Brenda, Marieann's classmate.

Mango Bingsu and Green Tea Bingsu

After the indulgent Bingsu, we went shopping or rather I followed the girls while they shopped at Somerset 313, and Scape. 

Scape Marketplace

We had an early dinner at Astons. Brenda went home soon after while we ended off the day with another Korean dessert, Teh Gah Dai ice cream from Honey Creme before making our way home too. :)  

Queuing for a table at Astons

Salmon Spaghetti 

Teriyaki Chicken

Pork 

Enjoying Teh Gah Dai ice cream

My feet are really tired from following my girls around but the time spent with my girls and the memories are priceless! :)

Video Gaming System

I laughed when I saw the results of this Blogthing quiz about my video gaming system. :D I am currently very attached to my Nintendo 3DS. :P

You Are Nintendo DS

You could be described as curious and creative. You like all sorts of things and are easily inspired. You are cute and sweet. You like playing video games, but you shy away from anything too intense. You are a natural introvert. You're more likely to want to concentrate on a game than play with a friend. You like to be in your own private world. You never know when you'll be up for a game, so you like to take your gaming on the go.

What Video Gaming System Are You?

Turning Point

Today marks a turning point for my career. :)

Interview

I have a high stakes interview tomorrow afternoon. It will pretty much decide what's next for me. 

Happy 12th Birthday, Juliane!

You are finally 12 years old today, reaching the first milestone of your academic career (PSLE!). Many say you look like me but I think it goes deeper than that, you are like me in many ways, including that wanderlust! :)

Happy 12th Birthday, Juliane. Be the best you can be and the world will be yours!

(Source: http://www.designsnext.com/happy-bday-wishes-cakes/)